When Guns N’ Roses took the stage to kick off their 2025 world tour, longtime fans could tell something had shifted. Sure, the setlist still leaned into the hits, and the core lineup was mostly intact, but the engine behind the kit? That was different. Isaac Carpenter, stepping in for Frank Ferrer, didn’t just keep time: he shook the foundation.
From the first few shows, it was clear: Isaac Carpenter wasn’t there to imitate or to cautiously blend in. His drumming felt alive, swinging hard in spots, laid-back in others, injecting the kind of looseness and urgency that the band hasn’t had in years. Duff McKagan, who’s been with the group since the early days, summed it up best: “There’s just this new excitement.”
McKagan pointed out that Carpenter walks a line between Steven Adler’s chaotic charm and Matt Sorum’s surgical precision. And that’s no accident. The two have shared stages before in McKagan’s solo project, Loaded, and their chemistry seems to have picked up right where it left off. According to McKagan, Carpenter doesn’t just play the parts; he reads the room, feels the moment.
The tour, wryly named Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things, kicked off May 1 in Incheon, South Korea, and winds through Asia and Europe through mid-summer. The response so far? Mostly glowing. Fans have taken to social media, noting how staples like “Welcome to the Jungle” feel refreshed: more feral, less rehearsed. Carpenter’s tight interplay with McKagan has become something of a new centerpiece.
It helps that Isaac Carpenter is no stranger to high-pressure gigs. After emerging with early-2000s rock band Loudermilk, he racked up credits with AWOLNATION, Adam Lambert, and even A Perfect Circle. He’s played in front of festival crowds, radio stations, and TV cameras, and that versatility shows. He knows when to explode, when to simmer, and most importantly, when to let the song breathe.
As for Ferrer, his departure wasn’t clouded by drama. A rock-solid presence since 2006, he helped shepherd the band through major chapters: Chinese Democracy, the Hard Skool EP, and countless tours. His send-off was respectful, both onstage and off.
Now, with Carpenter fully settled in, there’s a different kind of momentum driving the band forward. It’s not a reinvention, but it’s definitely a recharge. And for a band that’s built its legacy on both chaos and precision, it’s exactly the kind of rhythm they didn’t know they needed.